Sunday, June 12, 2016

A 27-year-old West Bend [Wisconsin] woman who said she was in love with a 13-year-old neighbor has been convicted of felony sexual assault for two encounters with him at her apartment last year.

A jury late Tuesday found Christine Spoo guilty of two counts of sexual assault of a child after a two-day trial, during which both she and the victim testified. She faces up to 25 years in prison on each count at her sentencing in March.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim told a West Bend police detective that he had moved in with his mother in February 2015 and met Spoo, who lived nearby with her own 4-year-old son.

The boy said he began spending lots of time at Spoo's apartment, sometimes over night, and the two began falling in love. He described two incidents in March when they had unprotected sex in her apartment.

Spoo told the detective she cared deeply for the boy and admitted he spent lots of time at her apartment, watching TV and playing video games, but she initially denied having a sexual relationship.

But after detectives explained the boy's detailed recounting of the encounters, Spoo began to cry and said the boy was very manipulative and tricked her into having sex.

She also said she was in love and wanted a relationship with the boy but knew he was too young. She was charged in April and remained free on $1,000 bail until the guilty verdicts were returned late Tuesday.